The Things I Carry

A poem I wrote in response to the first chapter of "The Things They Carried". [A good book about Vietnam, if anyone is interested]

I carry many things

The necessary and the not

The material and emotional 

The heavy and burdensome

My purse, no matter how small, carries my life

It carries the experiences I have had

Old movie tickets, receipts

Spare change and empty gum wrappers

It carries memories

My iPhone carries my information

Without it I would be lost

Instant information and instant communication

In a world with only seconds to spare, instant is necessary

I carry gum and perfume

Lip balm, makeup and cough drops

For the days that I don't feel my best

                                                              

I carry money

Sometimes it is more than enough

Sometimes it is never enough

I carry it because society says so

I carry stress

Sometimes it is too much

Sometimes it is bearable 

No matter what, there is always stress

With the stress come shattered dreams

Broken hearts

Forgotten wishes

I carry things that I do not wish to remember

I am reminded of what I have not done 

And of what I will never do

They haunt and plague but will not go away

I carry experiences never felt

I carry memories long gone

Of people almost forgotten

Of places that may have existed only in my dreams

These are the worst memories

Forgotten truths and lies believed

All of these things, I carry on my own

Any criticism is welcome!